Ragnarok Part II: Trickster
by eskimita
Summary: There was one thing that would always mean more than anything else to him. Family was everything. He would stop at nothing to keep them safe.


**This is my personal backstory for Gabriel/Loki. The ideas contained within are my own ideas based loosely around Supernatural canon and Norse mythology. They are not available for adaption by anyone else choosing to borrow bits and pieces of them without asking me.**  
 **This story is so far from even remotely historically accurate. I have eliminated several parents of Loki's children to suit my needs.**  
 **I own nothing save this backstory. The characters are not mine.**  
 **Any questions can be directed to my facebook page Eskimita FanFics or to my rp tumblr lokis-morning-star**

Gabriel watched, hidden, as Michael led his battalions into the garden where the Father and Son regularly rested. There had been whispers of unease in heaven since Michael had discovered that the Father did not intend to immediately end life on earth, and Gabriel had seen it leading to this for centuries. When he had asked the Father why He did nothing to stop it, he had received a smile and no further answer. Gabriel wanted to believe that the Father would not stand for the rebellion that Michael had planned, but as he watched, the Father and Son were bound to the garden, trapped by the power of the angels the Father had created. The Father said nothing, raised no hand to stop the rebellion that Michael was leading. As soon as They were bound, Michael ordered his battalions to capture any angels who were not completely loyal to him, to bind their grace and dispose of them so that they could not rise against him.

The uprising had begun, uncontested by any angels remaining in heaven, including himself. Gabriel felt a momentary ping of guilt but shook it off, forcing it back behind layers of other emotions. He, Raphael, Lucifer, and Michael were the oldest of the angels. They were the most powerful and the closest. He could hardly be expected to rise up against his brother, someone who had been with him since before the dawn of time. The younger angels could never understand the bond that formed between the archangels, the bonds that held them together as brothers. It was those very bonds that made it impossible for Gabriel to fight against Michael's tyranny.

Slipping away before he could be seen, Gabriel took a moment to wonder what would happen now. With Michael in command, heaven was no longer safe for Gabriel, not when his oldest brother knew that he was still in regular communication with Lucifer. Michael would assume, rightly so, that Gabriel would betray him, would do anything to get Lucifer back to heaven. Michael, unlike Gabriel, did not seem to care for the bonds that archangels shared, if his behavior towards Lucifer were any indication. He would stop at nothing to control heaven completely. The only way he could think of to save himself was to leave, to disappear from heaven and leave the rest of the angels to their fate at Michael's hands. Gathering his grace about himself, Gabriel took one last look at his home before leaving, not a single trace of him to be found. He would hide on earth until the day he had the power to usurp his brother without fighting him. There had to be a solution to this problem that didn't involve Gabriel being forced to fight his brother. He would find it.

* * *

This was the place. Nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this place was as close as the humans could get to the birthplace of their species, to the garden that was lost to them forever because his brother had wanted to prove a point. This place was the very cradle of life on this earth, the one place where the Father's power still lingered, after all the centuries had passed. It was desolate now, but at it's prime, this place had been the pinnacle of perfection on earth. It had been full of the Father's presence and angels' grace, full of wonder and love. Despite the air of hopelessness that filled it now, Gabriel could still feel the remnants of what had been. All in all, Gabriel found this place fitting for his task.

Gathering a handful of the dust, he pushed his grace into it, morphing it to his liking. His grace binded to the grains, manipulating them and holding them together, making them almost indestructible. Feeling the crushing silence that had surrounded him since his departure from heaven, Gabriel began to speak, to fill the air with words of comfort to himself. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost gravelly with emotion. "Formed from the dust of the earth, in His image. That's how He made them. Their bodies were perfect in His sight. There were no errors in them. It's only fitting that I make myself in the same way. Where they were weak and susceptible to the sins of the flesh, I will be strong. I will be a new creation, no longer an archangel, no longer His messenger. I will find my place in this world that is so different from what He intended, and I will forge my own path."

Pouring his grace into the dirt, Gabriel watched it take the form of a man, a vessel that would only ever work for him. As he did, he remembered his Father, the God who had created the angels, who had bid them to protect this earth, to love the humans that dwelled here. But what God could not protect His own Son, His own Self, from deception? What Father could not love His angels enough to raise His hand in discipline when they plotted against Him? His Father had refused to punish the insolence of his brother, refused to stop the rebellion and save His angels from enslavement to Michael's machinations, and Gabriel saw no reason to follow His bidding. Instead, he would take his own path. He would become something his brothers would never expect. He would find happiness.

The vessel stood before him, and Gabriel surveyed it with a cautious gleam before possessing it, testing the reflexes. As he took his first step in his new vessel, Gabriel grinned. No one would expect to find the runaway archangel among the humans. This was perfect. In this vessel, he could be anything he wanted to be. In this vessel, he would thrive.

* * *

It was in the East that he decided what he would do with his newfound freedom from heaven. Cutting his grace off from the Host had taught him that he needed to be near to some sort of power, to gather the foreign magic of this earth to him in order to remain healthy. It had been an accident when he discovered that the magic of pagan gods would keep him in his best form, but since then he had been travelling from temple to temple, learning all he could about these gods that the humans worshipped. Seeing the esteem and power the humans gave the gods, something stirred in Gabriel, something he had thought himself free of. He desired that esteem, that respect. He wanted the adoration of human followers, the loyalty to his name. It was something he had never wanted before, but now that he had tasted it, had witnessed it, it would not escape him.

The challenge was in disguising his grace so that the angels could not track him. Already he had lost three different angel trackers, searching for him on Michael's orders. He needed to find a way to mask his grace, to become something other than an angel. How he was going to do that, Gabriel hadn't a clue. The pagan gods weren't exactly jumping up to help a stranger poking around their secrets. Stumbling upon Kali was a rather fortunate accident in Gabriel's eyes. Although she was usually worshipped for her destruction, her ability to change and wield power was exactly what Gabriel needed. Seducing her in order to get her help wasn't really a challenge for him; Gabriel had been using his charisma to seduce women and men alike since he'd left heaven. Unfortunately for Gabriel, seducing a goddess of destruction had its drawbacks and by the time he escaped Kali's rage, he had quite a few scars to show for it.

* * *

Grace concealed in pagan magic, Gabriel left India with the goal of joining one of the pantheons of Europe; it would be easier to track any angel movement if he was closer to the Christian church. Poking around the Greek and Roman pantheons was fun for a while, but the gods of old were quickly going out of fashion thanks to the shiny new story about Jesus and how great God was. The Christian church was growing faster than any of the other gods could have imagined, picking up bits of tradition as people converted to 'The Way.' Gabriel might have found it amusing if it wasn't so heartbreaking to know the truth. Watching the humans strive towards perfection in order to earn the approval of a Father who wasn't there was rather heartbreaking, really. Watching the gods of old spiral out of control because they were losing the power that worshipers brought, that was the most amusing thing Gabriel had seen in ages. Soon though, the dwindling power that their few worshipers gave them grew too weak for Gabriel and he found himself wandering again, searching for a pantheon with enough followers to keep him healthy.

* * *

The Aesir were magnificent. When Gabriel had stumbled upon Sigyn in the woods in Scandinavia, he hadn't expected her to so willingly bring him into the fold of her pantheon. Yet she had. With the Aesir, Gabriel had found everything he'd ever wanted. They were gods worshipped before their followers went on raids, before they planted crops, before they slayed their own brothers. For an archangel in exile, the amount of violence that was involved in the worship of the Aesir was the perfect punishment for his crimes against the Father, imagined though they may be. For Gabriel, the chance to cause havoc and be worshipped for it was one he couldn't even dream of passing up.

Finding a place within the Aesir was easier than Gabriel had imagined it would be. The first time Sigyn caught him loosening the bridle on Thor's horse so that the thunder god would fall into a pit of mud, she accused him of being nothing but a trickster. Luckily for Gabriel, the reputation stuck. Soon, Norsemen were offering bloody sacrifices to appease the trickster god so that he would do nothing detrimental to their lives. The rumors spread among the humans that the trickster god Loki was the husband of the goddess Sigyn only further cemented his place among the Aesir, ensuring that he would be adored and powered for as long as he desired. For some time, his existence was almost _happy._ For Father's sake, he even had _children_ , little pieces of him and Sigyn, or Svaðilfari, as was the case with Sleipnir. He had a functioning family, a family full of love, not the deceit of the other angels. For the first time in centuries, the former archangel was truly content. Of course something would come along to ruin that.

* * *

Sigyn was pregnant with his fifth child when Loki discovered that Frigg had seen a vision of the future. What she had seen was something only Odin was privy to, but rumors abounded among the Aesir. Many of the other gods speculated that the vision was of the demise of the Aesir in general, of the end of their worship. Still others claimed that it was a vision of a great battle that the Aesir would win. It wasn't until Loki was called to Odin's chambers that any of the other gods knew the truth, the horrible truth.

"Trickster," Odin growled at Loki, glaring at him from beneath the protective wings of Hugin and Munin. "My wife has had a most interesting vision involving your unborn child. Tell me, Trickster, how long have you sought to destroy my son?"

Confused, Loki made sure a smirk grew on his face, refusing to allow Odin to see any weakness on his part. His relationship with the majority of the Aesir was tumultuous at best. With Odin, they shared a mutual hatred and grudging respect. "Well, it started when he forced his less than welcome attentions on my wife. I don't like bullies, and he needs to learn a lesson."

"So you have brought his destroyer into the world?! You planned to have my son slain and our very way of living brought to death because of your pettiness? You would see our world end because your wife is frigid and unwelcoming to the honor of warming Thor's bed?"

"End our world?" Loki raised one brow as he watched Odin grow more angry. Sure, in his time with the Aesir, Loki had pulled some more malicious pranks, but he had yet to do something that might destroy the world. That was more Michael's thing. Maybe he was crazy, but he actually liked this world and all of the chaos within. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I may not like Thor, but I would never seek to end our world simply because your son lacks self control. The worst I have done to Thor is curse him to be a eunuch for his passes at the Valkerie women last year."

Odin stood slowly, his ravens spreading their wings behind him. When he loomed over Loki, he leered, a glint that reminded Loki of Michael in his eye. A lesser god would have been intimidated by Odin's mere presence, but Loki stood strong. He'd seen far more intimidating gods and angels in his life. "Your children shall be cursed, bound in servitude from this day forth. Your daughter shall never again leave her domain in Hel. Fenrir shall be bound to the form of the wolf, unable to ever take the form of a man. Sleipnir shall serve me until I have proclaimed his debt paid. Narfi shall be Thor's own manservant from now on. And the child your wife carries shall be bound to the sea, never to leave. I will not see my son perish or our world come to an end. Not at your hands or those of your children. I may be unable to kill you at this time, but I will never see your children destroy my family. Leave me."

Loki left Odin's presence, concealing his burning fury as he made his way to the chambers he shared with Sigyn. His wife deserved to hear this news from his own mouth before Odin painted a target on her back for the rest of the Aesir. He would be able to do nothing to change Odin's mind, knowing how much the other god loathed his presence here. The only thing he could hope to do is use the magics and grace available to him to protect his children as much as possible. He would do anything to keep them safe.

* * *

Jörmungandr was perfect. Loki looked down at his newborn son and caressed his golden curls. He knew that the moment Odin heard that his son was born, the other god would be here, waiting to bind his son to the sea forever. Holding the child close to his chest, Loki stepped away from Sigyn's bed, carefully unwrapping the lock Kali had placed on his grace.

"I cannot save you, son, but I can do my best to ensure that what Frigg has seen never comes to pass." Loki wrapped his grace very carefully around the newborn god, flinching at the way it clashed with Jörmundandr's magic. He soothed the child before he started fussing, making his grace weave in with Jörmundandr's magic. "I will ensure that you can spend one day a year on land, so that you may see me, and your siblings when I free them. I will find a way to prevent Frigg's vision from coming true. You will not kill Thor, my son. You will never kill a single soul."

Resealing his grace, Loki cradled the child's head as he carried the boy over to Sigyn, placing him in her arms. He wiped the hair out of her face and smiled down at her, taking in the picture she made with his child. "No matter what Odin believes, he will never truly control one of my children. I will protect you all."

* * *

Jörmungandr's banishment shortly after his birth changed everything for Loki. He retreated from the rest of the Aesir, speaking only to Sigyn and his remaining son, Narfi. When he was able to, he slipped away to visit Hel and Fenrir, spending as much time with his children as he could. His tricks took a decidedly destructive turn as he strove to ruin anything Thor or Odin set out to do. The other gods were blind to the changes that had taken place, believing that Loki was simply up to his usual tricks. Only Sigyn knew the truth. When she approached him and asked to know when Loki planned to leave, he smiled sadly at her and kissed her. He was gone the next day.

For a while, he traveled, playing tricks on the gods of other pantheons and deserving humans. Eventually, he retreated to a hideout he'd built not long after meeting Kali, hiding away from anyone who might search for him. Only Sigyn knew where to find him and he liked it that way. He needed time to plan, time to figure out how he was going to protect his children

It took three hundred years before the Trickster was comfortable with his plan, confident that it would succeed. Jörmungandr, despite being cursed to be a sea serpent for eternity, was a gentle soul. He would not be capable of killing Thor as Frigg had envisioned. There was no violence in his heart. All of Loki's children were bound by Odin's magic, unable to attack Thor in their brother's stead. If one of his children were to defeat Thor and free the others, he would have to have another child, one that did not contain his pagan magic. He would have to commit the second greatest sin an angel could commit. Path determined, all Loki had to do was bide his time. There would come a moment when his plan would be set into fruition perfectly. Then his children would be freed from the prisons that had been imposed on them.

* * *

"Sigyn, you must slow down. What happened?" Loki grasped his wife's shoulders, steadying her as she shook with tears. Though they hadn't seen each other in hundreds of years, she was still the truest friend he'd had since leaving heaven. He would always come back to her.

"Narfi is dead. Thor has killed him."

Loki's golden eyes flashed with anger at that statement and he gathered Sigyn closer, holding on to her to keep control over both his magic and his grace. Losing control and hurting her would not be beneficial. When he thought that he could keep his calm, he released her and moved away, pacing in his small fortress. Over the years it had become more decadent, but it was still only as big as he had needed it to be when he first ran.

"I have an idea, a solution to this problem with Thor and Odin. They will not kill any more of my children. It isn't something I ever wanted to do, but for them, I will do anything." He looked up at her, stopping his movements. "I will need your help."

"She will do." Sigyn watched Helen Pevensie with her three children, hidden within the shadows of her house. "She is loving and kind but strong and stubborn. She will raise your child to defeat Thor and free our children. How will you do it?"

"The same way I seduced you, love." Loki smirked at his ex-wife, raking a hand through his hair. "I'll use my natural charm."

"You're full of hot air." She laughed as they left the Pevensie house and reappeared in one of Loki's hiding spots. "Are you sure of this plan?"

Nodding, Loki sat down in his plush chair. "It will work. Go back to the Aesir. Start the rumor that I have another child. It will drive Odin mad with his obsession and determination to find the babe. The years it takes will be enough for me to train the child and free our children. This will succeed."

* * *

"What makes her different from our children? She feels different." Sigyn looked down at the little baby in Loki's hands, brushing a finger through her curly brown hair. "She feels… I don't know how to describe it."

"Our children are gods. She's something completely different. If it is ever discovered that she exists, I'll be put to death. You must protect her, Sigyn. I can't be seen around her, not while she's so young. When she's older, I'll come back and teach her, but until then, I need you to keep her safe."

Sigyn nodded, meeting his eyes. "What are you going to name her?"

Loki shrugged. "Well I suppose you'd smack me if I named her Thora, right?" To prove his point, Sigyn slapped his arm. "No, I have a better name for her. Lucy. Just like my favorite brother."

"Lucy? That's it?"

"Well, no. Lucy Danica. My own little Morning Star." He pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead before returning her to her crib. "Be valiant, my Morning Star. The world will be a dangerous place for you. I promise though, kiddo, I will always come back to you." Turning to Sigyn, he smirked. "Ragnarok starts today."

* * *

"Liesmith," that authoritative voice had Loki stopping in his tracks, turning to face the god he despised more than any others. "I would have the child."

An easy smirk grew on Loki's face as he forced his body to relax. "There is no child."

"Do not lie to me." Odin stepped closer, growling in Loki's face. Dimly, Loki noted that his breath smelt of lutefisk. Gross. "You have been gone for a year without a trace, just as with all of your other children. Not even your former wife could find you. There is a child. Bring it to me."

"A guy finds a pretty young thing to shack up with and it's automatically assumed he's having a kid? Come on now. I regularly shack up with various gods and goddesses of other pantheons. A guy has needs." Loki tilted his head to the side, cockiness increasing. "Even if there was a child, I will never make that mistake again. You may have bound my children, but you can never bind me, and as long as I roam free, there will be hope for them. Now, if you'll excuse me, the lady Sif is expecting me."

Loki strode away from Odin, his smirk never fading. The god wouldn't find anything, Loki had ensured it. His little morning star was safe. She would be until the day she was ready to face Thor and save her siblings. Odin didn't know it yet, but he'd made the wrong choice when he decided to mess with Loki. No one threatened his family and lived to tell the tale.


End file.
